


Diarama

by xenosaurus



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Blood and Injury, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 08:01:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11687439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xenosaurus/pseuds/xenosaurus
Summary: When they fight shadows, people get hurt.





	Diarama

**Author's Note:**

> for a prompt asking for yusuke getting hurt and the rest of the team (but especially akira) worrying about him

When they fight shadows, people get hurt.

At some point, it became routine. After months and months of coming out of battle with everyone in more or less one piece, Akira got used to the idea that random Palace guards aren't going to kill someone. There have been a few close calls, but most of them were the result of shadows with instant kill moves, or happened in a new Palace when they don't yet know what to expect.

He let his guard down.

Today is a goddamned wake-up call.

The shadow knows charge. Akira knows this. He planned around it. They've never let one live long enough to use it and then actually followup with an attack.

But it dodges. Twice.

Even as the blow connects, some part of Akira doesn't believe it. This isn't what was supposed to happen.

Yusuke hits the wall and collapses into a heap. From his vantage point, Akira can't tell if he's even breathing. The dread pours into Akira's body like prickly ice, squeezing his lungs and making his heart pound in his ears.

Ryuji kills the shadow. Akira isn't watching, having turned his back to the fight the moment Yusuke went down. It's bad leadership and worse combat safety. He just doesn't _care_.

Yusuke is awake when Akira reaches him. His eyes are wide and panicked, but he looks at him. He's conscious, and breathing. Akira can hear it.

But, _God_ , that's the worst part. He isn't panting or catching his breath. He's wheezing, a sickly, wet sound that's getting thinner with each passing moment. His body convulses in a weak, gurgling cough; Akira can see in his face how much it hurts. How badly are his ribs broken?

Ann's healing spell snaps Akira out of his horrified trance. Yusuke's chest expands as the crushed bones take their previous shape, and some of the color comes back to his cheeks.

The spell has barely run its course when Yusuke lurches forward onto his hands and knees, his whole body overtaken by violent coughing. Blood splatters across the Palace floor. Ann gasps and Ryuji swears; Akira is too stunned to do either.

Another healing spell has no effect. Yusuke isn't bleeding; he's choking on the blood that's _already_ in his lungs. Akira and Ann exchange panicked glances, but there isn't anything they can do but wait for Yusuke to cough it all up.

It takes Yusuke over a minute to get his airways clear. He's trembling and panting by the end, tears streaming down his face. There's blood _everywhere_ , on his face and his hands and the floor. Akira, who is kneeling next to him, puts an arm around his friend's shoulders and gives him a gentle tug, encouraging him to let Akira take his weight.

Yusuke is normally resistant to physical help, but he leans into Akira like a lifeline. His breathing is still raspy, and his whole body is shaking from adrenaline.

"You're okay," Akira mumbles, as much for his own benefit as for Yusuke's.

"Is he really?" Ryuji asks, blunt but concerned.

"Oracle?" Akira addresses the room as a whole, but Futaba's voice answers immediately.

"He's stable. I didn't know that could happen."

She's clearly just as shaken as the combat team. Yusuke coughs again, but it doesn't dissolve into a fit. He wipes the blood on the back of his hand, though it's really a futile effort.

"We need to get to the nearest safe room," Akira says. "Fox is down, send Mona and Noir to back us up."

"You got it, Joker," Futaba replies, and sets about doing her job. Haru joins them almost immediately, Morgana at her heels. Haru covers her mouth with both hands when she sees the blood.

"Oh, it's worse than I thought," She says, hurrying to Yusuke's side and joining Akira on the floor. She produces a handkerchief from seemingly nowhere and wipes some of the blood from his face. "You poor thing."

Yusuke shakes his head.

"I'm... alright," His voice is hoarse from coughing.

"Thank goodness for that," Haru says, further dabbing away the blood. "Here, I have water, you sound dreadful."

Akira helps stabilize Yusuke while Haru holds out her bottled water. Yusuke takes it from her gingerly and drinks a large gulp, only to immediately start coughing again. It's less violent this time and Akira rubs his back through it. Haru wrings her hands fretfully.

"I don't understand why the healing spell let that happen," Ann says, frustrated. She takes pride in her combat skills, and her role as a healer is one of them.

"I believe my chest was already flooded when you healed the injuries that were draining into it," Yusuke explains. He really doesn't sound good.

Ann makes a face.

"Does anything still hurt?" Akira asks. Their friends are standing around them in a protective circle, as though daring any shadows to try to get through to their weakened teammate. Yusuke shakes his head.

"Only soreness."

"I think we're done for the day anyways. Everyone's pretty shaken."

"I promise you, I'm much better--"

"Yusuke, please. I'm... that scared me," Akira admits, barely noticing the way he's dropped the codename.

"Shit, man, me too. I thought you were dying," Ryuji chimes in.

Yusuke hesitates, then nods. Akira slowly helps him to his feet, Haru standing on Yusuke's other side, ready to help support his weight if need be. He ends up being just fine to stand, but even the short walk to safety sets off another wave of coughing.

The meet up with the rest of the team at the safe room where Futaba was hiding out. Makoto immediately joins in with Haru and Akira's fussing, and even Futaba hurries to check on him. Even with the knowledge that he's going to be fine doesn't shake off the instinctive fear that comes from seeing a friend covered in their own blood.

"We should take him to the hospital," Makoto says, frowning.

"How would we even explain this?" Futaba asks, frowning harder.

"I... know someone. She won't ask questions," Akira says. Makoto gives him a long, hard look, then nods.

"Are we certain this is necessary?" Yusuke asks, in that same pathetically croaky voice from earlier. Half the people in the room start talking over each other in response, but pretty much everyone is saying the same thing--

"Yes!"

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr is @[xenosaurus](http://xenosaurus.tumblr.com) and i'm taking requests and prompts at the moment!


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